Mutton Fatteh With Leftover Fried Rotis

Leftover rotis in a Sindhi household will always be put to good use. My grandmother used to deep-fry day old rotis and sprinkle over the quintessential sukka (dry)masalas-a combination of red chilli powder, coriander powder and amchoor or dry mango powder over everything fried-potatoes, yam, taro roots-you name it. The last one is a personal favourite of mine and we prepare it in a simple tomato base to have with rotis. You can find the recipe for that here.

While you can’t exactly sub these fried rotis for nachos or pita chips in a lot of other recipes, for this mutton fatteh, you can in a cinch. Spicy minced mutton and aubergine take the place of chilli con carne atop this crunchy bed of spicy fried rotis. That Nigella-inspired whipped yoghurt and tahini sauce plops right on top and finally comes the shower of chopped green coriander, which in my opinion, just makes everything better. I serve this when everyone is glued to the telly and the happy faces as they pause to scoop up both mince and sauce together is quite satisfying. As for me, I’m sitting in the corner, beer in hand all smug because I managed to turn my leftovers into something so incredible.

Instructions

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a kadai or a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the onions and sauté for a minute.

Sprinkle over some salt and reduce the heat slightly. Allow the onions to cook slowly, stirring often, until the onion has caramelised and is soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook for a minute.

Add the cubes of aubergine to the pan, sprinkle over some salt, once again, turn up the heat again and work the aubergine around the pan, not allowing it to stick. Work this mixture for some time, standing over the stove, else the aubergine can stick.

Ball up pieces of minced meat and drop into the pan, browning the meat on all sides by stirring it around, breaking it as you go with your wooden spoon. Continue to stir like this for about ten minutes. Add all the dry masalas at this stage and lightly season again.

Cover the pan and allow the mince to cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Check to see if the meat is done and take it off the hob if it is. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

To make the tahini and yoghurt sauce, combine everything in a heatproof bowl and whisk over a Bain Marie (a setting wherein you set the bowl of tahini and yoghurt over a saucepan of just-boiled water) and whisk until the sauce seems light.

Deep-fry the roti triangles in hot oil or roast them alternately. While it’s still hot and draining on kitchen towels, sprinkle over the red chilli, dry mango and coriander powders with some salt and loosely toss with your fingers

In a platter, arrange the bed of fried rotis, then top with the mutton mince. Spoon over the tahini and yoghurt sauce on top and finish with some chopped coriander.